Team-BHP - The Futility of Hasty Driving

I too have a confession to make, among all the phases I went through in my life, being a 'coorg/jatt boy' was one, and I am not proud of that. When I got my first bike back in 2005, a Honda Unicorn, adequately powered to pull out some antics, I had this urge to overtake anyone and everyone. It wasn't about the ride, it wasn't about how fast I reached there or how safe I was riding the bike, it was all about how I reached my destination, 'filled with thrills' used to be the goal. During those days, that I did something stupid, something that I regret to this day and will regret as long as I live, on one chilly night in Hyderabad at 1'o clock while speedo was showing 95, I saw a old man joining the main road from a street ahead. I was high on adrenaline and didn't want to slow down so honked continuously to get his attention and to make him wait until I pass, the poor old man saw me coming at speed, and probably was taken a back by the loud sound of the horn as well, he was so shocked that not only he stopped but took an U turn back to the street. In that moment it was funny, but when I narrated this to a 'manly man' whom I was trying to impress for a long time and was trying to prove him that I was 'man enough' contrary to his belief that I was too sensitive and kid at heart, so when I narrated this incident first I saw a surprise on his face, then anger, he was trying to hold his feelings for a bit , then said "poor old man", it was then when the guilt hit me like a train. I won't say that incident changed me completely, but it forced me into second phase.

The second phase was to mix caution with aggression, the idea was to ride hard when the road was empty but to slow down and be cautious when there was traffic on the road. But it was confusing at that time, I had no prior planning, wasn't aware of the routes properly, so even though me and my friends who ride sedately and with some sense started at the same time, they used to reach the destination within a minute or two, despite me riding spiritedly on empty stretches, thinking I was riding fast.

Even today I won't claim to be the safest rider/driver on the road, but I am not the same guy I used to be. I now understand two things from my experience 1. Even if you ride/drive 'hard' you will save a couple of minutes, life is more precious than those couple of minutes 2. Knowledge of the routes, traffic conditions, alternetive routes coupled with planning your trip ahead makes you reach your destination faster and SAFER.

Now whenever I am driving in the city or on the highway and encounter a person that I used be once upon a time, I let them pass with a smile, you can't change them, I just hope they too realise like I did and become a safe rider/driver.

I travel a lot between Hyderabad and my hometown which is 100 kms from Hyderabd on NH65 and mostly on weekends, I encounter different types of drivers and riders. Few behave like they are entitled while few don't even know what they are doing and then there are few who drive in the middle of the road doing 80. And yes I encounter those who hog the right lane doing slow speeds, in this case first I wait and see if they make a move for couple of minutes, without honking or doing anything, if they don't, then I just honk or blink once and make a move when it is absolutely safe to, it's all good if it ends there, but more often than not it doesn't end there, me overtaking them in my tiny little Micra offends them and they come back to overtake me and hog the right lane again. This is when it infuriates me, if I am not in hurry I will just slow down and let them go so I don't have them in my sight, but if I am in hurry it will be little hard to ignore them and not to overtake them few more times.

There is one more thing, slow drivers/riders aren't always safe drivers/riders and those who overtake a lot of vehicles on their way aren't always driving/riding dangerously. A lane hogging slow vehicle or those who think highways are like roadrash game where it is safe to drive in the middle of the road are more dangerous than those who calculate their moves and make them accordingly even if it seems they are making too many moves according to us.

Quote:

Originally Posted by tchsvy (Post 4495217)

, me overtaking them in my tiny little Micra offends them and they come back to overtake me and hog the right lane again. This is when it infuriates me, if I am not in hurry I will just slow down and let them go so I don't have them in my sight, but if I am in hurry it will be little hard to ignore them and not to overtake them few more times.

There is this thing about respect on the roads. There is a pecking order as well and it exists no matter we like it or not.

If you overtake someone by inconveniencing them, chances are they will do the same thing to you. It's all about easing the aggression on the road. Believe me , driving styles are very perceptive and if you are perceived to be aggressive, chances of someone reciprocating the same to you are high.

And do not get infuriated, the others want you to do just that and end up in trouble.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kosfactor (Post 4495283)

There is this thing about respect on the roads. There is a pecking order as well and it exists no matter we like it or not.

Agreed pecking order does exist, but it doesn't give anyone a right to hog the fast lane, I myself don't do triple digit speeds on the highway in the first place. When it's not prohibited by law and when it is safe to do, I do have a right to overtake whatever car it may be. And in some cases it's the right thing to do.

Quote:

Believe me , driving styles are very perceptive and if you are perceived to be aggressive, chances of someone reciprocating the same to you are high.

I can't speak for everyone, but like I said, waiting patiently for few minutes, letting them know I am going to overtake them and then making the move, all this takes few minutes, and I don't think this can be perceived as aggressive driving. You can call this my perception, but I do encounter aggressive drivers a lot on this particular highway and one thing that they don't have is patience.

Quote:

And do not get infuriated, the others want you to do just that and end up in trouble.

Agreed again, this is something that you learn on the (high)way.

Driving fast, braking hard, cutting into others lane, just give the feel of covering the distance fast but in actual, it's not like that.
These practices may help one reach the destination faster by few minutes when the distance is short but for long drives, it's just the opposite. Driving like this makes the driver fatigued out faster and he/she will need more frequent breaks to refresh himself/herself.

What actually saves time in a long journey?

Few points i can think off-

Take minimum breaks.

Drive in a calm & composed manner at a consistent speed.

Night travel saves considerable amount of time.

Choosing the lane wisely while entering a toll or having a FASTag.

Slow down before entering into a messy traffic on the highway. Being slow, you will be able to judge the situation earlier and act accordingly, rather than hastily entering the mess and get stuck!

Absolutely apt thread. 2004-2007, I used to drive from Bangalore to Coonoor on Saturday early mornings (3am departure) and come back on Sunday at 3pm. Horrible roads (Mysore highway was getting widened then); and it still used to take max 5 hours onwards and 6 hours on return if I could take the Kallatti road downhill. In a Palio :) All roads being good, these days when I go, it takes lot longer on the way back and it is absolutely maddening from Mysore to Bangalore - so much so that I take the road via Kanakapura for peace of mind from "his highness boy" - HHB - drivers.

Since 2017, my weekly commute is to Coimbatore and back. Roads are great - though on Sunday evenings it is the same story from Krishnagiri. Switched to Monday early morning drive back just to have peaceful drive at constant 90kmph.

In all the cases when you see HHB drivers cutting across lanes and on high beam like wanna-be Vin Diesels, invariably I catch up with no stress at the next toll gate. Just don't understand what the hurry is for.

Of late though, I see 1 out of 10 HHBs sport a Team-BHP sticker; some times the I-drive-safe one too. Gives me a laugh/pain each time I see that :) Perhaps we should start a thread for reporting those!

PS: One side observation is that generally HHB behaviour is more prominent if the car used has DRLs. I'm wondering if drivers think DRLs somehow enhance a car's safety, just like Enfield owners (I am one) get a kick from aftermarket silencers (don't have one) and try to race (can't stand the vibrations, so just not even worth attempting.

Dear Malyaj,

This was an interesting read not only because of the topic but also because of your writing skills. On Team-Bhp, it is rare to see good English writing of this sort.

Everyone has their own story. The Palio 'boy' might have been in a hurry for some reason known only to him. It is not fair to judge someone only because of the way they drive. I am saying this from my own driving experiences. I am usually a very sedate driver but there are times when I have had to rush through traffic (much like your description of the 'Coorg boy'). But the traffic in our country is such that whether you are actually able to make the difference of >30 mins, totally depends on luck. Pure luck!

There are times when you are able to get past a particular bottleneck and the rough, snake like weaving through traffic pays off! Most time it does not but you've still got to try and do what you have to do because the mental state (and the traffic) is such.

Therefore, while I understand there are drivers who act like they are entitled to a right of way (the big angry looking SUVs that you mentioned) but at the same time we should refrain from making quick judgments. We do not know his/her story and for own mental peace, too, we must avoid it at all costs!

What an apt thread, irrefutably valid in the context of Indian road manners. Driving hasty is both futile and detrimental to one's health. And the end result would be nothing but frustration and fatigue.

I am one who drives a good 40km one way to work everyday in a two-lane Kerala state highway. The tarmac is OK, if not the smoothest. However, due to the umpteen number of little towns on the way I have learned that the average trip speed I could maintain is around 40-42kph in the morning and around 35-38kph in the evening. No matter how aggressive I drive, the average bracket remains the same. Now a days, I always resort to a smooth drive, no matter if I am listening to Jagjeet Singh or Shania Twain on Johnny Cash or Sadguru's podcasts. Less fatigue and considerable improvement in FE are the results :thumbs up

I wish if the drivers of the private buses plying on our roads tailgating, honking and flashing and what not learn this lesson :Frustrati It takes only one stupid driver on the road to make an otherwise well mannered traffic to go frustrated and trigger a road rage.

Great thread. Apart from the fact that you dont save much time - perhaps at most 1 hour or so on a day's driving on long trips, its the fatigue factor that makes a big difference.

I was one of those people who mentally put a "target" in my head on long drives and was secretly proud that I kept breaking some of my on records, during the early days of my driving.

Something changed at some point of time, thankfully early enough. My Pune-Kerala trips take an hour or two more nowadays, but I arrive at the destination in a much better shape, and I also get to enjoy the drive and scenery better.

Intensely focusing on overtaking every vehicle in front, and trying to maintain high cruising speeds all the time, does take a toll on one's body, apart from increasing the risk levels mainfold for oneself and others on the road .

I don't know if its a correct observation, but I think that I see more and more people driving at steady pace on the highways nowadays. In the early days of "four-lane highways", it was absolute mayhem.

Quote:

Originally Posted by vsbabu (Post 4495405)

Of late though, I see 1 out of 10 HHBs sport a Team-BHP sticker; some times the I-drive-safe one too. Gives me a laugh/pain each time I see that :) Perhaps we should start a thread for reporting those!

PS: One side observation is that generally HHB behaviour is more prominent if the car used has DRLs. I'm wondering if drivers think DRLs somehow enhance a car's safety, just like Enfield owners (I am one) get a kick from aftermarket silencers (don't have one) and try to race (can't stand the vibrations, so just not even worth attempting:).

Yes, I have observed that too. Team-BHP stickers are not uncommon now. Following the values and standards of this forum in letter and spirit is one thing and just strutting around with a badge is another. Again, not trying to generalize.

And yes, about the DRLs too. Though I think its just a bias. DRL not being a common feature yet, such a vehicle in rear view mirror is likely to stand out and stay in the memory longer

Quote:

Originally Posted by sjain2054 (Post 4495477)

Thanks @sjain! Yes, we should not judge drivers here. Though some can be clearly seen endangering safety, especially when the road ahead is clear and does not even warrant unnecessary aggression and requires only a simple overtake.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bigzero (Post 4495495)

I was one of those people who mentally put a "target" in my head on long drives and was secretly proud that I kept breaking some of my on records, during the early days of my driving.

Intensely focusing on overtaking every vehicle in front, and trying to maintain high cruising speeds all the time, does take a toll on one's body, apart from increasing the risk levels mainfold for oneself and others on the road .

I can totally relate to this. During my initial years of car ownership, I used to make a mental note of not just my own previous timings, but also those claimed by my friends (Doing Bangalore-Chennai in 3 hours, and stuff like that). I felt I had to be a real pansy taking 6 hours to reach Chennai. Until i realized the gross exaggerations of some of these claims and the futility of everything else.

I was once out for a drive with my spouse from Bangalore to Ambur for a Biryani lunch at the town. It was the first drive where I had got a change to stretch the legs of my vRS. For those who have driven on the stretch would know of the very nice roads which one encounters and allows one to do silly speeds if they wish to. So I was happily doing speeds which my previous Aveo or my current Micra would not allow to happen (at least easily) but I was equally conscious of the fact that there are factors who will happily come into the picture with no warning so was treading the fine line of joy and caution. Plus, I was (and still am) on the OEM Hankooks and not switched over to the PS4s for better grip/handling.

Half way through, I see this Indica go past me and it is fully of kids in the front seat and their moms in the back seat. I am surprised to see it drive by at high speed and here I was, being cautious in car with way superior handling, braking and tyres (I know Hankooks are still better than 14" for hatches). Anyway, I continued at my own pace and as a result, ended up passing them repeatedly. Everytime I passed, the kids in the front seats would get excited, egg up the driver (presumably dad of one of the kids) and he would make a rush for it to overtake me.

I would smile at the kids and let him overtake me as I knew my avg speed will have him beat. However, what truly surprised me was the willingness (and rashness) that the gentleman was willing to demonstrate on the road. At the end, he did end up far behind me and I did drove fairly nippy but no point I was the guy who was either flashing my lights or honking for a pass. My wife and I agree that it is drivers like these who are putting rest of their family at risk instead of actually showing the kids how it must be done.